Süddeutscher Verlag

Description of the project

With a crystal-like appearance, the Süddeutscher Verlag skyscraper in Munich was designed at an interface between the city, landscape and motorway. The first office building in Germany to be awarded the LEED Gold Certificate, the building saves up to 80% primary energy and up to 35% operating costs compared to conventional, comparable buildings.

The concept is based on the design features of classical modernism: clarity and abstraction, as well as a lucid asymmetrical development of horizontal and vertical dominants. At almost 100 metres high, this very slim high-rise building is integrally connected with an advancing six-story bar over an equally prestigious, transparent atrium. The prismatic longitudinal facades cleverly reflect the landscape and sky.

Guardian SunGuard® (HD) Neutral 67 was chosen for the double-skin glazed façade. The coated solar control glass provides good light transmission (66%) combined with a solar factor of 68%. The look of the glass was also important for this project, providing an almost diamond-like appearance to the building.

The double skin facade with decentralised facade ventilation units, individual control of ventilation, sun protection, individual temperature control for each office, and the use of geothermal energy throughout, all contribute to the building’s reduced energy consumption.